Improvement in processes and apparatus for ventilating and cooling mines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. B. NORMAN & H. R. LEONARD. Process and Apparatus for Ventilating and Cooling Mines. No. 220,940. Patented Oct. 28,1879.

N4 PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER WASHINGTON. D C.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

W. B. NORMAN & H. R. LEONARD. Process and Apparatus for Ventilating and Cooling Mines.

No. 2 20,940. M Patented Oct. 28, 1879.

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/ 1 I ZIIIIIIZ/l/I/Ild ".PETERS. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. 11 (1V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. NORMAN AND HARVEY R. LEONARD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA; SAID LEONARD ASSIGNOR TO SAID NORMAN. I

IMPROVEMENT IN PROCESSES AND APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING AND COOLING MINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 220,940, dated October 28, 1879 application filed November 2, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM B. NORMAN and HARVEY R. LRoNARD, both of the city and county of San Francisco, in the State of California, have made and invented certain new Improvements in the Method or Process for Ventilating and Cooling Deep Mines, and apparatus suitable for such purposes; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and clear description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

I11 deep mines, such as are worked upon the Pacific Slope, the air'in the working levels and chambers is not only very'impure but excessively warm, so that miners can work in such places only for short periods, and frequent reliefs are essential. The work done under such circumstances is therefore not only expensive but injurious to the health.

To remedy the bad ventilation, well-known appliances have been used of forcing atmospheric air into such localities; but such contrivances have only-effected a better ventilation without sensibly changing the temperature at the working points. To effect this change of temperature ice has been used at the working points in large quantities; but this is necessarily expensive, and objectionable for other reasons.

To overcome the difficulties above suggested is the object of our invention, which consists, mainly, in the method or process of cooling and ventilating deep mines by first artificially cooling the air at the entrance of the mine, next in recooling the air positively, or maintaining its coolness positively, within the mine, and finally in discharging the cold air into the working levels and chambers of the mine.

It also consists in various combinations of mechanical means to effect the above-named method or process; but these are not essential for that purpose, as other and well-known mechanical means maybe employed.

The mechanical means which we prefer are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of our aircooling apparatus; Fig. 2, a plan view of the same; Fig. 3, view of the cold-air-conducting tube and its connections; Fig. 4, a plan view (enlarged) of one of the refrigerating-chambers with the freezing-pipe removed; Fig. 5, a side elevation of one of such chambers; Fig. 6, a front sectional elevation of Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a front view, in vertical section, of one of such chambers with the pipes removed, and having but two compartments to each box; Fig. 8, a front view, in vertical section, of two compartment-boxes of a series with refrigerant-pipes in position; Fig. 9, a vertical longitudinal central section of one compartment-box and portions of two others in the same series, and Fig. 10 a horizontal longitudinal section through three adjacent compartment-boxes.

Similar letters denote corresponding parts in each figure.

A A represent two refrigerating-chambers; B B, inlet-pipes leading from a common pipe, B, for the air-supply; and O O, exit-pipes, connecting with a common pipe, 0, to conduct the refrigerated air away from the refrigcrating-chambers.

A receeiver, D, contains the refrigerating agent, and E E are pipes running therefrom to the refrigerating-coils within the chambers, which pipes may be employed in one or more series, as required, and arranged as shown in the drawings, and have branch pipes E E E E, all entering at or near the bottom of the chambers, and, running through the same in coils, pass out of the top of the chambers, (marked F F.)

G is a tube, connected with a compressingpump or other apparatus, for forcing the refrigerating agent back through a condenser, and bringing the same back in a liquid state, and into this tube G the pipes F F enter.

We prefer anhydrous ammonia for the freezing agent, and it is operated by com pressing and holding it in a receiver, conducting it thence through pipes to the coils, and thence leading and drawing the resultant hot gases from the chambers, and forcing them through a condensing-coil in a well-known method.

In conducting or forcing air over, around,,

erant action of such pipes, and therefore we employ two separate refrigerating-chambers, each of sufficient working capacity for the particular mine, so that when the pipes in one are cleaned of frost and ice, by steam, or in any other usual way, the other may be in full working condition.

Each refrigerating-chamber has several compartment-boxes, made by proper partitions, and have communication by openings in such partitions. Several of these boxes placed above each other and communicating by passages g g constitute a series, and a proper number of these series till and compose each chamber, and the air to be cooled passes from its inlet-pipe, from the highest compartment, through all the boxes in each series, and then, entering the highest compartment in the next series, passes through all of its boxes, and so on until it reaches its final exit-pipe leading down into the mine.

The refrigerator-pipes I: h within the boxes enter at the bottom of the chambers, and are arranged in vertical layers or coils longitudinally in close rows, so as to insure intimate contact of the air, and one layer is carried vertically to the top of the series before the second layer commences, as is shown in Figs. 8 and 9, until all the boxes in each chamber are filled with such coils, and connect at the last series with the pipes I or F. lroper couplingsj connect the ends of the coils in the several boxes.

To convey the cooled air out of the refrigerating apparatus described, we employ a pipe, I, having a refrigerating-coil, ll, connected with the refrigerating apparatus, wound spirally within it and returning centrally through it, and place outside of this pipe :1 jacket, l, of larger diameter, leaving a clear open space between the jacket and the pipe. At the extreme end of this pipe I we attach a flexible pipe, J, which may have a nozzle perforated on all sides.

The apparatus described being placed at or near the mouth of a mine, in connection with a blower or other proper contrivance, air is forced into the refrigerating apparatus over and around the pipes containing the refrigerant in the tortuous course described, and thence into the pipe I, where it is recooled, or its coolness maintained, and thus reeooled is conducted down into the mine, and into or sufiicientl y near the working levels or chambcrs thereof, where it passes out of the flexible pipe J into the precise portion of the mine where the cooling and ventilation are required.

In this operation some part of the vitiated and heated air displaced by the cold air may pass up between the jacket I and the pipe I; but it would be so trifling that it would not seriously affect the refrigerant action of the coil H, or afl'ect the beneficial action of the jacket in protectingthe pipe I from theheated air on the outside of the jacket.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new therein and of our own joint invention is- 1. The method or process, substantially as described, of cooling and ventilating the working levels and chambers of deep mines, which consists, first, in artificially cooling air at the entrance ofthe mine; second, in recooling or maintaining the coolness of such air within the mine by positive cooling materials; and, lastly, in discharging such cold air in such working levels and chambers, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus for cooling and ventilating mines, the combination of a refrigerating apparatus at or near the entrance of the mine and a eoldair pipe having a refrigerating-coil within it leading down into the mine, constructed and arranged substantially as described.

3. ln apparatus for cooling and ventilating mines, the combination of the. refrigeratingchambers with their air-pipes and refrigerantpipes, the conducting-pipe I, with its refrigerant-coil 11, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In apparatus for cooling and ventilating mines, the combination of an air-refrigerating apparatus, a cold-air-conducting tube, I, having inclosed in it a refrigerating-coil, H, and upon its outside a jacket, I, leaving a free space between the tube and thejacket, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands this 22d day of October, 1878.

WILLIAM B. NORMAN. HARVEY R. LEONARD. Witnesses:

(3. \V. M. SMITH, \Vn. ('AMPBELL. 

